Darkness Falls
by Portugese-Hero
Summary: 2015 Update! Ash Kechum is a regular Highschool orphan with no plans for the future, living in downtown pallet. But soon his quiet life is torn apart as he is forced to participate in a dangerous tournament to find out the secrets of his past and the source of his strange new powers. Armed with a yellow rat and an unending supply of sarcasm, can Ash become the very best?


**Hey there guys, it's been far too long. So, this fic will be a long one, so fell free to criticize, not flame, my work so that I may improve my skills as a writer. I'll take suggestions for plot points later on, but I have a good idea of where this story is headed for the foreseeable chapters. Hope you'll like reading this as much as I love writing it. By the way, when I mean criticize, I'm talking grammar and spelling corrections, everything and anything I can change or take out to give you a better reading experience. From sentence structure to plot points, I'm writing this for you so don't be afraid to ask for a change. Seriously. One word corrections to make it sound and flow better, anything that you look at in this fic and say "eh". Any part that you think is boring or you skim or skip over because it sounds weird or awkward, I want to know. I'm thinking about starting another story while still in the middle of this one, and I want to know your feedback to make me a better writer for you and for me, and to make this story live up to the potential I think it can reach. Thank you all for the support and the feedback can't wait to hear back from you. **

**Renewed, revised, and revamped for 2015, enjoy! Thanks to LonleySoul935 for pushing me to write this chapter **

_**Chapter 1: A Day in the Life**_

Darkness filled the room, the dark red curtains having been drawn down over the few windows hours before. It was rather spartan in design, the only decoration being a dull oak desk adorning the back, facing away from the windows. The desk itself was much of the same, it's only accessory being a small haptic screen who's soft blue glow barley pierced the darkness that surrounded it. otherwise the room was bare, the concrete floor still rough to the touch and showing signs of being recently placed.

Behind the desk sat a figure, their form scarcely outlined on the backdrop of darkness behind him. Visible only from the screen light, a finely manicured hand raised a cigar to his mouth, temporarily illuminating his face with a soft red light. Worn, yet hard and chiseled features relaxed as he inhaled, then darkness again consumed his face as he looked down again to the screen in front of him. With a short exhale the smoke drained out, filling the air around him. He spoke; his voice came out smoothly, honeyed words sounding out each syllable cleanly. Yet it also held a sharp edge to its tone, telling of a man who didn't like to repeat himself.

_"_Are things going to plan Doctor? No, complications?"

The person in the screen, a stout looking man garbed in a pure white labcoat, looked back and swallowed nervously. "Y-yes sir. The package was transferred cleanly; no one knows it's in Kano but you and me, and a handful of dock workers who shipped it from the islands."

The man at the desk closed his eyes and took another puff of the cigar, exhaling more smoke into the air. "Good. I want it here as soon as possible, the tournament is in less than a month, and we need that advantage. There can be no mistakes on this one, Stein."

Stein looked back, nervousness still evident but with a smug confidence. "No worries sir, I have my best people on it now. The package will be in our Kano labs by the end of the day, I assure you."

After a few moments of silence, Stein began to wonder if he had somehow made a mistake, and if the next words out of his employers' mouth would be his death sentence. "Excellent. Keep me informed." The look of pure relief on the doctors' face was obvious as the man cut the link, and the room was once again shrouded in darkness. It bothered the man not, however. His whole life was serpent in darkness, the endless plots and schemes, most of them leading up to this moment. "Soon," he whispered, "Soon the power to change to world will be in my hands. And no one will stop me."

**00000000000000000000000**

_ I smile down at her, heart racing. Her dark brown eyes stared up at mine. She looked down at my mouth, biting her lower lip, and pressed herself closer. When it came to a point where I couldn't take her teasing anymore, I leaned in, eyes closed and lips slightly parted, waiting to feel her lips on mine. After a few seconds of nothing, I opened my eyes, and she was gone. In her place was a never ending blackness. No, not black. Red. It's blood, whose I didn't know. And I have a growing fear I don't want to find out. No, it's not blood, its fire. It burns, we all burns down in a sea of flame THE'RE COM- _

I shot up in my bed in a cold sweet, panting hard. I looked down at my body. Not on fire. That was good. I sighed as the sun's rays slowly rose over the rooftops. Well, my rooftop anyway. I turned out of bed, and shivered when my feet touched the cool concrete of the roof. At one point I thought about buying a carpet for my "bedroom", and then I remembered that I could barely afford to live on the _roof_ of an apartment building. I smiled as I made my way to the edge of the building and looked as the sun peaked its head over the Pallet City skyline. As I leaned against the concrete barrier and admired my view from the 7 story building, I couldn't help but think how living on a roof wasn't so bad. Still smiling, I lifted up my hand that was resting on the edge of the wall, and quickly remembered that the Pidgy population of Pallet was one good reason to live indoors. I cursed to myself as I wiped off the droppings from my hand with a spare shirt that I used for a rag by my bed. Well, it's not really a bed, just an old mat that I managed to drag up the fire escape.

_Then again I_ thought to myself with a chuckle looking around at the rest of the roof. _This isn't really a house, is it?_

In fact it really wasn't much of anything. The roof was separated by wire fences to act as walls, separating the different rooms. There was my bedroom on the far right corner, next to it along the wall was a living room with an old a futon I'd found on the side of the road pointing to an old T.V. In the center was the kitchen, if you count a mini fridge, a fire pit and a frying pan a kitchen. There were two more rooms; one was a type of training room, with dummies and punching bags littered around the area that took up most of the left side wall. Also there was a doorway that opened up into a stairwell entrance that went outside down the fire escape on the back side of the building facing away from the street. This only left a little space for my roommate. It was then I was tacked from behind by a yellow blur.

_Speaking of the little Devil _I smiled as I landed back on the bed face first. I flip myself to face my "assailant" to be face to face with two deep black eyes. It cocked its head sideways

"Pika!" I couldn't help another smile as I rubbed behind Pikachu's ears, earning myself a satisfied 'chaaaa' from my partner. Pikachus were a quadruped rodent species that were mostly yellow all around, other than the red electric sacs on its cheeks that stored electricity. The species was also known for having a lightning bolt shaped tail on their back, a good indicator of a Pikachu's natural element of electricity. A fact that I have become all too aware of during our training sessions. I shuttered slightly at the thought. Some of those scars still haven't healed properly.

"Pi?" I was brought out of my daydreaming to see Pikachu again sitting on my chest, with a food bowl in its mouth. I sweat dropped, and decided it was probably best that I eat to, and get ready to go. School has always seemed unnecessary, not that I really needed one. As much as my teachers told me otherwise, I knew that I wasn't cut out for the real world. I was a B student, had no money, no girlfriend, no prospects for the future. I was a slightly below average high school student, nothing extraordinary to speak of. I was only able to afford to go because of some new 'No student left behind' bull. It was some PR stunt some politician made up to boost his ratings. Besides, I already knew that I'd end up in a crappy dead end job, living in some other god forsaken town, and I long since gave up my dreams on college. I slipped on a blue hoodie over my nightshirt, not that I had anything else to wear, and walked over to the mini fridge to feed myself and Pikachu. _No, _I thought empty minded as I took a milk carton and downed it in one sip. _I could never leave this town. Too much shit has happened here for me to just go. _I looked up again to the skyline, the place I've lived for my entire life, challenging it to make me leave, to just give up and go.

To which the town promptly answered by smacking me in the face. Literary, with a piece of drifting paper that knocked me back onto the floor. Cursing again, I threw it of my face as the wind stuck it to the railing in front of me. Looking back at it saw it was an advertisement, with a picture of two trainers on the right and left, looking battered, running towards each other. The one on the left had a Rhydon charging ahead of him, the other had a Sandslash doing the same. Above the four was an add, written in big black letters;

OFFICIAL BATTLE STADIUM TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN PALLET

COME INE COME ALL TO THE FIGHTS OF THE DECADE AS TRAINERS bla bla bla

I scoffed at it, and kicked it away. The 'tournament' was nothing but a bunch of pansy pampered trainers whose parents paid the ridiculously high fee to even apply to get into the damn thing; in fact the stupidly high price leads it to be more fanfare than anything else.

_Fights of the decade huh? _I thought to myself, shaking my head as I sipped on the milk carton again. _Fights of the decade my-_

"ASH!" A loud voice jolted me out of my daydream, shocking me senseless. No really, my milk fell out of my hand and on to Pikachu, who promptly thunderbolted me until I couldn't feel anything below my neck. I don't mind, it's happened to me more then I care to remember. I was much more afraid of the owner of the voice would do If I didn't get my ass moving. I walked over to the side of the roof facing away from the street, and peered down into the parking lot of the building. There, standing with a seemingly ever- pissed off expression, was Misty Waterflower, one of the only people I could in good faith call my friend.

"Morning, Mist!" I yelled down with my best fake flamboyantly cheery smile. At this point in our story I would love to describe Misty as both a person and my childhood friend as she has been both as long as I can remember, but at that point I had to duck underneath a perfectly thrown glass bottle that flew over my head, crashing on the ground behind me.

"I told you not to call me that!" The voice echoes. I just lean back over the edge and smile down again at my oldest friend. Misty could beat be described as a tomboy, wearing cargo pants and a t-shirt that left...actually quite a bit of her body to the imagination. Looks didn't really matter to her (though she did forgo the overall-lemon shirt combo from when they were kids), and I respected her a hell of a lot for it. Class president, captain of the swim team, stellar grades, she was everything I wasn't. Namely she was liked.

But most importantly, right now she was pissed as hell.

I'm snapped out of my daydream as I see her rearing up another bottle from below "Woa, easy there Mist. Want some milk?" I yelled, holding up the half empty carton over the edge.

A few dozen smashed bottles later, I'm sure the neighbors had more than enough of a wakeup call. The assault soon stops though, so I guess she finally calmed down over the whole 'Mist' thing. I think. I don't know what's more impressive, her anger issues or this building tenants drinking problems. How many bottles did she have there anyways?

"Come on Ash! We're going to be late! Again! Get your ass down here NOW!"

I didn't need to be told twice, as I reached over and downed the last of the milk as I bolted to the door, grabbing my bag as I ran by. I sprinted down the first five flights of the fire escape and vaulted the last, landing in front of the pissed off redhead with a thud. She glares at me at first, with her arms crossed. "You really have to start taking better care of yourself Ash. I mean, how are you ever going to graduate if you never show up!"

As her glare holds, I let mock shock take over my face. "Graduate? Me? My dear Misty you think too highly of me." My face turns more serious as a return her glare with a half-glare of my own. "We both know I'm going nowhere so just drop it."

We stand there in the parking lot in silence for a good minute, not saying anything but holding our gazes. Her glare holds a little longer, until she eventually sighs and drops her arms. She looks at me with a look of remorse and...Pity? It's a look I've never seen on her before. I stagger a bit, dropping my own glare as well "Ash... Can you promise me you'll never just lie down and die? Please? There are some people who still believe in you."

My surprised look turns into a smirk. I put my head down and my head in my pockets as I walk past her to the street that would take us to the school. "Oh yea, I can count them on my fingers now. You, May, Brock... No, I think that's about it." I turn to her, walking backwards now with my arms spread wide. "So yea Misty, I have a bitchy class president, a super diva and a blue balled pervert backing me up. Oh, dear Arceus how can I fail now!" I yelled to the sky. I turned and continue to walk down the road. Thankfully I actually live kinda close to the school itself, the structure itself looking more like a stone prison than a school. Basically a big grey block on the horizon, apparently it was supposed to be 'contemporary design' or some shit.

I shoot a glance over my shoulder, but just to see if she's following me. She was, but the fiery anger wasn't there, replaced by something else. I always hated when she looked like that, broken, like she had failed me or something. It's not her fault, and I hate having to put down all the talk of me having a future to her. It's just not practical. And I was over exaggerating when I bashed our friends earlier; they're not half bad people. You know, for assholes. I sigh and put my head down. Why can't I help being an ass all the time, even to my friends?

"Hey Ashhhhhhh!" I barely had time to think _karma_ before I'm glomped onto the ground. _You know _I groaned in my head, _of my top ten list of things to be glomped on, pavement is definitely a solid 11. _

I open my eyes with a bit off a struggle. Looking up, I'm met with two bright brown eyes staring down at me. I smirk and close them again, more in pain than anything else. "Hey May. Mind getting off of me? I'd like to breathe if it's not too much trouble...!" My voice was getting more and more strained as the last of my air left me.

The brown haired girl was now currently straddling my chest, effectively cutting off my off my oxygen supply with her ass alone on a public sidewalk. She smiled down at me sheepishly as she got up and extended her hand. I took it graciously, pulling myself up. I dusted off my pants (not that they could really get any dirtier) and look up at my 'assailant'. May Maple was still there, sheepishness gone and a beaming smiles to replace it. As my head clears, I take a second to take her in. she was wearing a white skirt with a red tube top that showed some of her midriff, and light red jacket on that covered up a lot of the skin the shirt missed, decorated with a pokéball symbol on the back. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a dual ponytail style hanging loosely of the sides of her head, reaching down to her shoulders. After a second of fake glaring I eventually smile back at her, just not quite as beamingly. Other than Misty, May was one of the only people that I could call a friend. I've noticed that you have to have something at least a little fucked up to even want to be near me, but hers is apparently being too nice to ignore the poor orphan kid. At least, that's how I think it started when we met.

Now? She was a real friend, someone that wouldn't mind being in the same boat with the freak kid. Not that Misty and May got among much. Case in point, said redhead finally catches up to me and glares at the newcomer.

"May, what were you thinking! You could've killed him just then!"

She just sweetly smiled back at her, bubbling voice never fading. "No worries Misty, he's perfectly fine! Besides..." She leans into my arm, pressing her impressive...assets...against me and gives me a smokey look "...he didn't mind, now did you Ash?"

I sigh, but smirk myself. This was a daily occurrence, as was the teasing. That's all it was to, that's just who May was. She did it to everyone, mostly. Everyone knew she was kidding, too. A few guys have tried to take it further, and were promptly shot down like would need ducks. All of the teasing made her quite desirable to the guys in the school, making her fairly popular as a result. Which raises the question why she was associating with me

I smiled as I remembered they day I first met May. Unlike Misty, who I had known since we were kids, I first met May at school. It was two years ago, and it was a day where Misty was at a swim meet and Brock was sick. My two closest people that I considered 'friends' were nowhere in sight, and I was getting tired of standing in the middle of the lunchroom making an ass of myself, so I saw an empty table and sat down. I was about to take a bite of my pb&amp;j when I hear a muffled cough from next to me. I turn my head, mouth still open, to see that the table was actually not empty, but had a lone resident. Those beaming brown eyes looked on at mine.

"Hi! My name is May, what's yours?" The enthusiastic girl now identified as May asked over the usual roar of the lunchroom. I just stare at her. I hadn't really been as great of a people person as I was today back then (who am I kidding, my people skills are terrible at best even now) so when a stranger started being...nice to me, I was at a loss. Mainly people then just scoffed at me and tried to avoid eye contact. Now that I think about it, they still do that now. Anyways, back to May, who took my silence as shyness and not the confusion it actually was, and took that as a sign to keep talking. "Well, its ok if you don't want to talk, I just wanted to say hi. See, I'm a new transfer from the Hoenn region, and I wanted to know if we could be friends!" She never lost her smile as she cracked her head to the side and closed her eyes. When I still didn't say anything, staring like a deerling in headlights. She opened one eye, to see me gawking at her, open confusion and surprise evident on my face. She pouted and mock glared at me. "Look, we're both here sitting by ourselves, and obviously we both need someone to at least talk to, so do you mind telling me your name at least?" Another pause before I sigh and look away.

"...Ash" I mutter, and offer my hand without looking at her. I turn to see her beaming again as she takes it and gives it a firm shake.

"It's nice to meet you Ash. Hm, that's a funny name how'd you get it?" When I didn't answer again, she just asked another question, and another, and another. She trailed off like that for a good 20 minutes, talking about herself or asking about me, which I sometimes chimed in single word answers. I just sat there and listened for the most part, a fact that I think pleased her a lot. It wasn't hard to see why she didn't have more friends at first in the school, she droned on more than a Chattot. But I wasn't most people. Having someone actually _talking _to me was a feat in itself, so I didn't mind if she talked me half to death. Soon Misty came back from her meet and found us, at first being completely stunned that Ash had actually made a _friend_, a comment made by her that earned him a glare from me, but then they shook it off and the two girls introduced themselves. Misty was a little awkward towards her though, and kept giving her sideways glances as we talked. Soon we were all talking, and eventually lunch ended. We kept talking after that, and I realized she was in a lot of my classes. I couldn't be blamed; I still don't pay attention in those.

Back In the present, I'm snapped out of my daydream as I realize May is talking "...-hink it's a great idea, don't you Ash?" She beamed at me. I just nod my head yes, earning me another hug from the busty brunette. That little encounter had woken me out of my daze enough to realize that we had made it all the way to the school already.

Before I could whisper to Misty and ask her what I had just agreed to, a deep voice cut in "Hey there guys, late again I see!" I smirk and turn to see a kid a little taller than myself walking toward us from across street behind us. He was about 5'9, a little taller than me, wearing a brown T- shirt and kaki cargo pants. He had his hair spiked up in its customary unkempt style, but not messy. I turn fully to face him, and see that his light brown features are marred by a red mark that covers half his face,

I scoff and point to it. "Hey there yourself! So, Officer Jenny go easy on you this time?" I taunt him.

He puffed out his chest in pride and looked to the sky, almost poetic looking until he started talking. "You know, my friend, we all need love in life, whether we know it or not. Jenny...well she just doesn't know that. Yet." His voice deadpan son the last word and turns an intense gaze back to us "But one day! I will make her SEE my affections, her feelings being muffles through this clouded looking glass of a socie..."

He keeps going, making less and less sense as time goes on, but I let him go at it a little longer. The guy was a either a pervert or a romantic.

So yea, overall a nice guy, but a perverted bastard when he wanted to be. Not that he would try that on Misty or May. May obviously wasn't interested and Misty...let's just say the first time they met and Brock tried his whole love confession shtick, he was in the hospital for a week. He still has the limp in his walk. I shudder at the memory and look around, to see everyone gone. "Ash! Come on let's go already!" Misty shouts from inside the entrance of the school building. I smile as start walking up to the main entrance. "Coming Mist!" I shouted. I duck as another bottle came flying from inside the doorway and chuckle. Just another day in the life of Ash Kechum.

Now if only I knew it was about to change forever.

**0000000000000000000000000000**

A shadowy figure stood one of the many hills overlooking the quiet city of Pallet, looking at the sunset as the town slowly went quiet. It made what looked like a sinister looking smile through the darkness as it stared at a town that housed it's pray. "Soon" it whispered in a feminine, yet demonic tone. "Soon you will be ours for the taking, my dear Ash." The figure's eyes shown in a demonic gold light as the sun sank below the horizon. Soon she backed up into the shadows, disappearing into the inky blackness.

** 0000000000000000000000000000000**

**So, that's the first installment of many. The characters introduced, and the stage is set for mayhem and generally all hell braking loose in the next few chapters. I'm not going to be jumping into the plot right away, and if you're looking for a quick lemon fix that's going to take a while, if I decide to at all. So, remember, no flames, just reviews, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did FINALLY writing it. Till next time! **


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